Researching at Midwest Genealogy Center

If you are in the Kansas City area a must is to go and research at the
Midwest Genealogy Center
3440 S. Lee's Summit Road
Independence, MO 64055-1923
Phone: 816-252-7228
Hours: Mon - Thurs 9-9; Fri 9-6; Sat 9-5; Sun 1-5
This is a fantastic place to do family research. The libraries holdings make it well worth the trip. If you are looking for family in Missouri or other states they have the resources to help. They have All available U.S. federal population census schedules 1790 - 1930, including Soundex/Miracode indexes. They have reference books for the states. You don't need to have ancestors from Missouri to benefit from this library, it is well worth the trip for the census of every state alone. They also have classes to help you start or learn more on how to do genealogy. The next class being offered according to their website is June 24, 2010, Thursday at 7:00 PM
Finding Your Pioneer Ancestor along the Oregon-California Trails you can register for this class as well as the others by going to their website. They have the Kansas City Star and Times Newspaper and the Independence Examiner newspaper. You really must come to this library when in the area. Their website is
http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/genlh/mgc.htm I hope you check it out.
I have used this facility for many years to do research. The books of the different county histories from all over the US as well as the cemetery books from MO have been a great help for me in my research. I highly recommend you use this resource.

Memorial Day Trip to Cemetery

Memorial Day we went to put flowers on the graves at the cemetery again. As we went to the different graves Mike and I discussed how many graves go undecorated or attended. We can no longer go to one cemetery here in town that has my great grandparents and other ancestors in it because of the area it is in and also the disrepair. The last time we were there headstones had been taken or moved or broken and the graves themselves, in some cases, had sunken in. When I first started doing genealogy many years ago and could get to this cemetery I never thought about taking a picture of the headstones or rubbings because we went every year. Now that I can no longer get there and the records are not good, or in most cases, non existent I wish I had thought to do the pictures back then. I guess what I want to convey is always go prepared to take pictures or rubbings of the headstones when you go to a cemetery. Don't be left wishing you had like I am now. This year we took pictures of the headstones we go to every year and I will share them here. Most bigger Cemeteries will give you a map showing where your graves you are looking for are located and it is always a good idea to get one if possible to include in your cemetery book of your ancestors. If it is a smaller cemetery or one that doesn't offer this then walk the cemetery find your ancestors graves and make your own map. It will help when you return to that cemetery or want to share with someone else where the ancestors are buried.

Pictures of headstones for Bilyeu Family at Chapel Hill Cemetery in Kansas City,KS Wyandotte County located in the Old Rugged Cross Section
Memorial Day 2010:

George and Sophia Jones Bilyeu


Cline and Marie Outlaw Bilyeu with son Terry





Clarence and Helen Bilyeu and James and Opha Bilyeu Smith

Jesse and Gusta Bilyeu Jester

Wm Clay and Josephine Bilyeu


Robert and Barbara Bilyeu

I took some pictures of the full headstone followed like in Wm Clay and Josephine's with a close up of names and dates where both can be seen. I a cemetery book for each family try to get both pictures so that you have it for later reference. This is just one area in one cemetery that had most of my Bilyeu side of the family that I am using as an example.
Most important is to make sure you visit the cemeteries and record all the info you can.

Old family recipes

One thing that we should remember to record is old family recipes. I think everyone probably remembers that food that Grandma or Mom has made that as a kid we loved. In our family we have certain things that we always ate and learned to make from our relatives. I have several
and will share them once in awhile and this is the first. My mom use to bake this cake for my birthday all the time and I love it. It is one that is being passed down.

 Mom's Eggless Cake Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
3 cups flour
2 tsps soda
3-4 tsps cinammon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla

In mixer mix all the above ingredients together alternating the milk and flour 
Pour into a greased and floured 13"x9" cake pan
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 min or until done in the middle. Test by inserting knife in middle and if comes out clean done

Icing
Combine 1 cup brown sugar
2 tbls milk
2 tbls coconut (add more to your taste)
Mix and sprinkle on top of cake while cake is still hot
Put under broiler till bubbles

All in the Family Tree

It has been a really long time since I posted anything due to illness. I am much better now and out of my wheelchair so I can get back at the courthouse and cemetery sleuthing again on a regular basis. I wanted to give just a short tree of my direct ancestors and where they are from to start of this new year and to also remind you to never get rid of hard copies of anything. I was rereading a article sent to me out of a book and noticed that I had not followed through on looking for my ancestors marriage record in Pike County IL. When I looked it up at the IL State Archives sure enough there they were. Always review what you think you know and see what you missed.

Here goes with my tree:

Debra Kay Jester (me)

Parents: Jack Norman Jester and Zeilla May Snodgrass

Jack Norman Jester Parents:
Jesse Theodore Jester and Gusta Fern Bilyeu

Zeilla May Snodgrass Parents:
Emmett Elzer Snodgrass and Mattie Rae Capp

Jesse Theodore Jester Parents:
Charles August Jester and Hattie Jane Anderson

Gusta Fern Bilyeu Parents:
George Clinton Bilyeu and Sophia Jones

Emmett Elzer Snodgrass Parents:
Walter C Snodgrass and Sallie Ann Cobb

Mattie Rae Capp Parents
Zelman Capp and Elizabeth Vincent

That is the immediate grandparents and I am going to look indepth each week at one of the sets. This week is Jesse Theodore Jester and Gusta Fern Bilyeu

Now here is the web address for the IL State Archives :

http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/databases.html

the online searchable records are:

Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900

Illinois Statewide Death Index, Pre–1916

Illinois Statewide Death Index (1916–1950)

Databases of Illinois Veterans

Missouri Death Certificates Online

When looking for Missouri ancestors make sure you check the Missouri State Archives website for online records. They have Death Certificates online from 1910-1958. Some can be viewed online also. I was researching my Bilyeu Family in Miller County MO and found the ones listed in this resource. Here is a listing of the Bilyeu Death Records from Miller County:
Andrew F. Bilyeu January _, 1952 Miller 2039
Arthur A. Bilyeu January _, 1951 Miller 1867
Daisy S. Bilyeu July 18, 1957 Miller 25423
Fielding Bilyeu December 22, 1928 Miller 41711
John H. Bilyeu December _, 1955 Miller Iberia 41378
Lizzie E Bilyeu May 10, 1958 Miller 19030
Louaddie Eveline Bilyeu April 12, 1930 Miller 13356
Lowell Gene Bilyeu August 28, 1928 Miller 27924
Margaret E. Bilyeu January 16, 1933 Miller 2379-1
Mariah Bilyeu August 03, 1927 Miller 24902
Martha Ann Bilyeu July 03, 1922 Miller 21660
William Bilyeu February 26, 1915 Miller 5435
William H. Bilyeu February _, 1944 Miller 7769
William Washington Bilyeu June 03, 1912 Miller 20698
This gives the name, Date of Birth, County, and Certificate Number
Go to the website and see what you can find on your ancestors. www.sos.mo.gov/archives

Place to research

There are so many places to do research on the internet but there is nothing like going to a courthouse in the county of your ancestors. While you are there try just looking around a little this paid of for us when we went to the the courthouse in Washita County OK. They had pictures up on the wall of migrant workers in the cotton fields in the 1930's and they had one that said do you know these people and there in the front was a picture of a woman that looked just like my Grandmother. She had always told me they picked cotton and she did even when she was 9 months pregnant with my mother. These pictures were proof that they really did pick cotton in this county in the time frame she had said and though I can't prove it I am sure that was my Grandmother in that picture.
Things you want to remember to check while at the courthouse are marriage records, deeds, and any court records you can look at. Make sure you look for the ancestor you are there looking for but also be sure to take note of records of the same surname. Like in the marriage records copy in a notebook all the ones you find for the surnames you are looking for whether you think they are in your tree or not. The reason is that you might find later that they fit in to your tree and if they do you already have the dates copied down to go back to. I did this when researching my Capp line in Monroe County MO and was glad about a year later that I had because I found that one I didn't think fit in did from one of the brothers to my ancestor. I also have not done this and wished I had later when I found that the person in question was in my line. It just saves time to do it while you are there. Also make sure you check deeds closely. Probate records and wills are also necessary to look at while there. Again check for all you can at the time you are there.
Be sure when going into the courthouses to be courteous and not demanding. I went into one and they said they had bad experiences with people coming in doing genealogy because they were rude and demanding. This makes it bad on the ones coming in after and will limit how willing they are to help you or let you look at records. Most importantly just go and learn about the county and what it was like when your ancestors lived there.

Old Movies

We all got together for Father's day at my Mom and Dads and my sister brought us all a DVD that she had made off a VHS tape my Dad had given us years before that he had made from some of the old family movies. This is such a great way to preserve family memories. We played it and I really enjoyed watching it. I think everyone was getting a kick out of me because I would be watching and then someone would be on there and I would say look, look its so and so. I then would think now stop that but I couldn't help myself when the next one came on and I would do the same. I really think everyone that has old movies or slides or vhs tapes of the family should think about putting them on DVD's and share them with the whole family. This is another way to pass on our family history.